Her Story
About Elizabeth
My career in civil engineering has been driven by a passion for making technical information accessible and helping communities understand flood risk. I started in the Atlanta area after college, where a manager and mentor trusted me to be client-facing from day one, allowing me to work with multiple FEMA regions. During my 12-year stint supporting FEMA Region 6, I witnessed the evolution from Map Modernization to Risk Map, which was all about collaborative partnerships. We grew from just 2 partners to 27, including academic institutions and planning teams, not just to create data but to take it out to communities and help them use it. I worked through some of the most devastating disasters - Hurricane Sandy, Katrina, Isaac, and the 2015 Central Texas flooding - which reinforced the critical need for accessible flood information. What I'm most proud of is the base-level engineering effort that achieved full coverage, watershed-wide modeling of a five-state area. We invested 3 years getting it lined up on the front end, and it's paid off dividends over the past 10 years. In the first 50 years of floodplain mapping, we only did a certain amount, but within the next 10 years, we were able to do all of that over and basically complete the map. After creating all this data, I wanted to see it utilized, so I worked with the Texas AgriLife Extension Office helping communities with comprehensive planning and zoning. Now at Black & Veatch, I work with clients to understand their systems while mentoring bright, young staff. I help them understand that it's not just about running a model - it's about making sure the answer makes sense and asking what question the client is really trying to answer. My focus is on taking technical information and making it approachable, meeting people where they are, because if you talk over people or assume they understand, you could miss them entirely.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my parents, who were both in the military and civil service. They never told me I couldn't do anything, so I never limited myself. It took me a couple of years to realize I was one of very few girls in the room, but I was never intimidated by any of that. Even when I had a professor who marked me down compared to my male group members for the same work, I learned to just show up every day, do what I need to do, and be the best that I can. I don't let other people's issues hold me down. My dad and my mom never told me I couldn't do anything, so why should I limit myself? I also had an incredible manager and mentor early in my career who trusted me and allowed me to be client-facing from day one, which was instrumental in my development.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
You have one mouth and two ears, so listen more than you talk. This advice has been fundamental to how I approach my work, especially when it comes to understanding what clients really need and mentoring younger staff. It's about meeting people where they are and truly hearing what they're asking for, not just assuming you know the answer.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is making technical information accessible and approachable so people can make informed decisions. It's not about restraining people, it's about informing and educating them. I believe in showing up every day and being the best I can be, not letting other people's issues hold me down. I value continuous learning - technology changes and everything keeps moving, which is why I love mentoring so much. I can learn as much from younger staff as they're getting from me. I'm connecting them to how people make decisions, and they're keeping me connected to how things are moving forward in technology. I also believe in being open to feedback and always taking a step back to ask myself if that was the best way I could have handled something. Structure and follow-through matter to me - it's about expectation and delivering on what you say you're going to do. And I think it's important to be part of the solution, not disconnecting from the world even when things feel overwhelming.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Texas
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.